What do you get when you combine an acoustic guitar, a rock singer/songwriter, and lyrics that actually make sense? Boston College alum Rich Schroder's new CD: Your Kind Words. Due out this month, this "story-based, folk rock record" is sure to appeal to a broad base of country music fans.
The album, which is not everyday, run-of-the-mill country, is clearly the product of an interesting life. Schroder, who was born in New York and then lived in Lebanon and Tehran, Iran from ages 4 to 10 before moving back to the United States, spent the early years of his childhood in relative isolation. Apparently, the seclusion was good for him. The lack of TV and commercial entertainment he says, "fostered a sense of creativity in me." This creativity continued to develop in him even when he moved back to the States where, in high school, he picked up the guitar as "a social thing" and played in rock bands with his friends. This background gives Schroder's work a unique perspective, something that country music has been lacking for awhile. But even with that, his music goes beyond genre labels; it speaks to the heart of a person.
Schroder spent 10 years of his early adulthood in rock bands of varying success, took a break from music, and then, five years ago, decided to take his career in a new direction by going solo and doing acoustic work. Inspired by such greats as Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, he spent two years honing his skills in writing story-based lyrics, aided along the way by his mentor Ross Adams, before beginning the three year process of actually making the album. The result of this long span of song writing exercises and recording is an album of intense lyrics and captivating melodies. "A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this," said Schroder.
When asked if he had a target audience in mind for the inimitable album, he replied in the negative and continued, "I'm just trying to find an audience to connect with." With the success that early reactions are hinting at, especially in the South, the Midwest, and in his local following in South Boston, Schroder's hope might well be fulfilled.
